Dream On
by FlowerofAdversity
Summary: XANA's latest plot to trap the children in inescapable dreams is thwarted by one he never dreamed could defeat him: Aelita.


Dream On !

Note: A Code Lyoko fan fiction, occurring soon after "Betrothed". The Warriors are still in Junior High school, and are enjoying the school year except for the fact that midterms have made them quite fatigued. Some of the feel as though the could fall asleep standing straight up. Jim and Susanne notice the children's physical state and request Mr. Delmas to offer them some time off so they can recuperate and regenerate. As the children dream, XANA has something sinister for them all. None of them can exit their "neverlands"...Except for one...Aelita.

Chapter 1—The Plea of the Mentors

With midterms in full swing, the students had been working hard to keep up to date on all their subjects as well as finish their homework. Not many of the students had been slackard or lackadaisical in the pursuit of knowledge. But all of them had been suffering from the same problem. They had all complained about being fatigued. Some of them were so worn out from all of their hard work that they nearly fell asleep where they stood. Jean Pierre only saw the problem as stress but with the suggestion of Jim and Susanne he realized it was more than just simply stress.

"The children can't keep their eyes open, Sir. They need a holiday, a break.", Jim said, in a concerned tone.

"It's becoming such a problem that they can't focus. Please think about it, Sir.", Susanne added, worriedly. Principal Delmas shuffled through some paperwork and jotted some papers together before setting them aside and letting out a laborious sigh.

"Very well. I had heard from the rest of the faculty, in particular those from the infirmery that their patient ratio had increased drastically since midterm week had begun. So, let it be known, from this day forward until the weekend, it will be a time of relaxation.", Principal Delmas said, announcing his ruling over the PA. There hadn't been a whole lot of clamor or applause over the initial decision since the students had been so incredibly tired from the work they had done that day. In fact, what most of the students did after they heard the splendid news was hop into bed and go to sleep. Little did they know, XANA was watching them all with sinister eyes, plotting his next hideous plan.

Chapter 2—XANA's Nefarious Plot

"Now's my time to act.", XANA thought to himself as he watched the students in their most vulnerable state. So, he began his journey to Earth in the hopes of making his plan come to fruition. He would trap the children in their beautiful dreams, where they were to sleep forever thus continually producing the Honey Energy he so desired. In his mind, his plan was foolproof. With the children unable to exit their dreams, he would become as powerful as he had to become in order to rule Earth with an iron fist.

It was the beginning of evening when XANA had arrived. In the cloak of darkness, he slinked through the forest to the clearing and then into the premises of Kadic Academy. It was so quiet one could hear a pin drop even though the only sound was that of a few students snoring slightly in their dreams. XANA began the incantation after he drew his alchemy circle and sacrificed the necessary ingredients. With this ancient ritual taken partially from voodoo ritual, the cycle of sleep would be unbreakable, impenetrable, and virtually inescapable. Soon as the ritual ended, the entire area of Kadic had been cast in an eerie purple umbra in which no light could enter. With a collection box, XANA began harvesting Honey Energy as soon as it began to be produced from the children's pleasant dreams. XANA rubbed his hands together greedily.

"At last, I will soon have what's coming to me !", XANA thought, as he strolled about and the Energy was attracted to his golden collection box. It was sucked in through a vacuum-like attachment and locked in tight once the collection had been complete. Seeing as there was enough energy to go around, he would be wandering Kadic for quite some time, until there was no more energy to be taken. Sadly, in the process the children would perish, but it was all the better in the beginning of his rule of Earth. The less resistance he had standing in his way, the easier it would be to conquer what was rightfully his.

Each of the children had different dreams. Sissi dreamt of enjoying a costume ball with her prince charming, Odd, and Odd shared the same dream, but in reverse. Sissi wore an opulent red ball gown, red opera-length gloves, and a red bejeweled headband. Odd wore a black tuxedo with a purple tie. The costume ball was held in a grand, lavish palace with everything Sissi had ever dreamed of: large rooms, floor-to-ceiling windows, grand staircases, marble floors, and beautiful statues...of herself and Odd, no doubt. Jeramie dreamt of marrying his beautiful princess, Aelita, and Aelita dreamt of what the future Lyoko would look like when it was restored, if that was ever possible. Sam dreamt of seeing her homeland Africa, Will dreamt of going pro in soccer, just as Ulrich did. Yumi remembered a time of the summer festival in Japan and playing Taiko drums for the audience's entertainment. Herve dreamt of attending his first ever sci-fi con, and Nicholas dreamt of performing for a rather large band in front of a vast audience of screaming fans. Naomi saw herself frolicking among flowers and riding on the back of a mystical unicorn while Susanne and Jim pictured themselves in a tropical locale having the time of their lives with the local islanders.

Some children dreamt of astral travel, others found themselves in fantastical locations such as Narnia, Terabithia, Neverland or a world completely new and uncharted in the mind's eye. Some pictured themselves in westerns, laying down the law of the land in a time when laws didn't amount for much, while others saw themselves in the Roaring 20's or different eras. All the while, they didn't realize that their magnificent dreamworlds were going to lead them into the world beyond. Of course, this would take some time. Draining all that energy didn't happen immediately. Just as sweet things take time to process and should be savored, so the same principal applied to that of garnering Honey Energy.

Chapter 3—All But One

XANA was practically giddy, an emotion that was against his malicious character. He was extremely pleased with the energy he was capturing at this time, and simply let the box do the work for him as he yawned, stretched, and adjusted his back. This mission had been ridiculously easy for him, and he had little if anything to worry about. That is, until he noticed some cracks forming in his golden box. He tried to stop the cracks from becoming any wider, but no matter what measure he took, the box was beginning to break, slowly but surely. This is when one student, Aelita Hopper, came out of her room and approached XANA. Her royal symbol was glowing brightly and she looked rather irritated.

"What are you doing awake, Aelita ? You should be enjoying pleasant dreams ! Why aren't you sleeping ! Sleep, I command it !", XANA bellowed, his eyes turning from red to dark maroon in his overwhelming anger.

"I knew the dream was induced. Certainly it's probable I could have a dream like the one you put me in, but the mind isn't something to be controlled. Even a monster like you should understand that...", Aelita said, summoning a spear after a pink aura surrounded her and the spear appeared in her right hand.

"No, just stay there. Approach me no further !", XANA warned, becoming all the angrier as he tried to protect his golden collection box. Aelita came forward with a mighty leap and a warrior cry much like an amazon of myth, piercing the box. In a flourish the box burst into a myriad of gold dust, and the Honey Energy scattered about like bees.

"NO !", XANA cried, trying in vain to rebuild what had already been lost. The Energy was gone, his box had been destroyed and Aelita stood before him, pointing a spear directly at his heart. Not a good evening.

"I won't fight you Princess. It's not worth it...", XANA stated, trying to catch his breath. He had used a lot of effort to create that storage unit, and he could no longer function, let alone fight. He called a truce, which was unlike him, but he decided to show some dignity for once.

"Go back, XANA.", Aelita said, with an unspoken warning that she would be waiting if he returned to Earth again. And unlike this time, she would probably be accompanied by her friends. With no further words said, and no blows exchanged, the despot left and collapsed back into his grotto, unable to move for the time being.

Chapter 4—Awakenings

Slowly, but surely, the rest of the students awakened, while Aelita stayed in bed until 10:30 AM. She had experienced quite an exciting night saving everyone from a possible death. No one else had known what she had done until Jeramie came in to check on her while she was still asleep. She still had the shining metallic pink spear in her hand.

"I'm not sure what happened to you last night, my dear...but whatever you did, thank you. You're quite something.", he said, kissing her forehead. Fluttering her eyelashes, she awoke with a tender smile.

"What a pleasant person to wake up to !", she said, throwing her arms around him. He blushed. He hoped that none of the others were around to catcall and tease him. Luckily for him, they were elsewhere, going about their usual duties for a Saturday.

"Why, thanks. But, what happened ? Why do you have a spear ?", Jeramie questioned. With a wave of her hand the spear shrunk and disappeared. Jeramie's eyes widened.

"What spear ?", Aelita said, with a lilting laugh, sounding much like a song bird's melody.

"I think I know where it came from. I just want to know why you needed it.", Jeramie said, holding her hands lovingly. She told him about what had happened last night. Jeramie had a sudden chill. He didn't realize that he and his friends could've died last night, and they would've never seen the wonderful events to come in their lives. That would've been criminal !

"My jewel gives me powers I don't often comprehend. If my mother, Alicia were alive, she could tell me why the rhombus grants me these abilities. And like a shield, or a knee jerk reaction, it just happens. That's all I know.", Aelita explained.

"You never cease to amaze me you know, Princess.", Jeramie said, adoringly. It was now her turn to turn beet red at his compliments. She simply hugged him close and they stayed in that embrace for a while until he left her to get ready for the day. By the time she had gotten ready, she rejoined Jeramie and the rest of the gang was waiting to hear about their newfound heroine. Her evolving abilities would come in handy in the battles to be with XANA. For now, they would be a secret among them, and no one else in the school would know.

Epilogue

XANA lay prone on the cool rocky ground of the grotto, reconnecting to his power source. His recent plan for world domination hadn't gone as he originally planned, but that didn't dampen his spirit. He would have plenty of time to formulate some new blue prints in the "plot to end all plots". For now, he would have to recuperate from his encounter with Aelita. Later, the plot would be made known.

The children had gotten through midterms after having their holiday that Jean-Pierre had required. They had done even better than expected, and hardly any students failed. There were a few that needed an extra help to complete the years assignments but with tutoring, they were excelling like everyone else. It was time for spring break, so they had another week to do with what they pleased. It was a much needed breath of fresh air for everyone, in particular the councilors. At least now, Jean-Pierre loosened up a bit and wasn't so concerned about being so involved with his work. His focus now was on the teens, and how they were progressing. With acceptable breaks and some periods of rest, they did better. And verbal encouragement and motivational quotes over the PA also helped them to succeed. He then came to the realization that with this change, he had become a new person. He had been closer to his faculty, the children, and especially his daughter. He hadn't been vocal with her, nor threatening. And all because he had been enlightened through processing matters in his head and acting upon his own will to become the man he had once been when he had his darling Aimee by his side.

The End


End file.
